At What Cost? 3
by IcedHeat
Summary: Third story in the At What Cost? series. SJ. Set two years after the events of At What Cost? The Sequel.
1. Chapter 1

Outside the house, the storm raged. Sam snuggled down into the depths of the  
couch and pulled the comforter up to her neck, her eyes on the lightning-lit garden.

The silence of the house was in stark contrast to the noise outside. Her thoughts  
flashed to her baby daughter, sleeping upstairs. She knew she had nothing to worry  
about. Jessica could sleep through anything. She'd slept right through the night at  
only a week old. Eighteen months later and the little girl knew when her bedtime was  
and became annoyed if anything got in the way of it.

It had been a peaceful couple of years, she mused. Almost a year ago Jack had taken  
over as head of the SGC. She'd watched him settle to his new task with difficulty, unsurprisingly  
finding the transition hard.

She sighed. The promotion had come at around the same time as Jessie's birth and since  
then he'd been… different. Distant, somehow. Quieter. She'd gone back to work when Jessie  
was six months old, the child going into the day-care unit at the SGC that she'd known  
nothing about until now.

Jack had spent less and less time at home. She glanced at the clock, unsurprised to see it  
was almost midnight. He'd be home soon, most nights he would come home at about this  
time. When he got home he was tired. Being the commanding officer of the SGC was taking  
its toll on him.

She heard the front door open and close.

'Watchin' the storm, huh?'

She turned to see Jack standing in the doorway, an amused glint in his eyes. He looked tired  
under the amusement and he was soaking wet from the rain, she noted. She nodded in  
response to his question.

'Kids?'

'Jake's at his friend's house and Gracie's over at Janet's with Cassie, Jessica's sleeping.'

Jack nodded and slid his leather jacket off, hanging it on a hook. Then he turned and walked  
over to her, lifting the comforter and sliding beneath it.

'Jack! You're all wet and cold!' Sam protested half-heartedly.

He put his mouth to her ear and whispered, 'So warm me up.'

She smiled as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. After several quiet minutes he said,  
'I uh… had some news.'

Not taking her eyes from the storm, Sam said, 'Good or bad?'

'I'm not sure yet. I wanted to talk to you about it.' This made her turn slightly so she could  
look up at him. 'I've been offered a new job.' She stared at him, waiting for him to continue.  
'General Hammond's retiring.'

'And they want you to go to Washington,' Sam finished for him.

Jack nodded. 'I get a promotion,' he said, in the tone of one announcing the death of a close  
friend.

Sam smiled. 'That's great.' Then she stood and said, 'I have to go check on Jessie, are you  
coming to bed?'

Jack looked up at her, wondering at the things she wasn't saying. 'Sam…'

'I'll see you in a minute, Jack.'

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. After several minutes he rose and went upstairs.  
He checked on Jessica. The little girl was sleeping soundly, as always. Long dark lashes  
rested against her cheek. He smiled to himself. Jessie had darker hair than Jake, but the  
same startling Carter-blue eyes.

He turned and went into the bedroom he shared with Sam. She was standing in front of the  
mirror, combing her slightly longer than shoulder-length hair.

'Hey,' he said softly, walking over and standing behind her, sliding his arms around her  
waist. Since having Jessie, Sam's figure was slightly rounder than before. Very slightly,  
but he noticed it, and liked it.

'Hey,' she responded.

'Wanna tell me what's bothering you?'

'Nothing,' she said, not meeting his eyes.

'Liar,' he responded, his tone soft.

She bit her lip and he turned her to face him, surprised at just how upset she was. 'Sam?'

'I'm just worried we're going to lose you,' she said, directing her words at his chest,  
rather than look at him.

'Why would you lose me?'

'I know what its like, Jack. _You _know what its like,' she paused, 'You'll be there, we'll be  
here…'

'I'll be here, too,' he said.

'We both know how involved the job is,' Sam said quietly.

Jack put his hand under her chin and tipped her face up so her eyes met his. 'I don't  
have to take the job, Sam.'

She gave a half-smile. 'Who else is there? There's no one else I'd trust in that job,  
Jack.'

He sighed and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. 'What do you think I  
should do?'

'There isn't really a choice. Its only one change, we'll deal with it.' When he was  
silent, she said, 'What aren't you telling me?'

'They want to reactivate you. Make you a Lieutenant Colonel and give you SG-1.'

'I've been commanding SG-1 just fine as a civilian.'

'_I _know that. They just think that, if the SGC is going to remain a military base, the  
flagship team should have a military commanding officer.'

She sat down on the bed next to him. 'This sucks.'

'We could both refuse.'

'We can't.'

'I know.' He turned to look at her. 'I'm not going anywhere, Sam. We can make this  
work.'

'What about the kids?'

'You being a colonel won't make much difference to them. _We're _untouchable in that  
respect – they can't exactly un-marry us.'

'You won't be here.'

'I'll be here as much as I can. It'll be more than you think.'

'You can't keep flying across the country, Jack, you'll be exhausted.'

'I don't care. I need to be here. Just because the Air Force needs me to be somewhere  
else, doesn't mean I'm not going to do everything in my power to be where I need to  
be. Okay?' She looked at him. His jaw was set in grim determination. 'Its not forever, Sam.'

She nodded and stood, walking back to the mirror and continuing to comb her hair.

His reflection smiled wryly at her. 'This is ridiculous.'

She smiled back. He rose and stood behind her again, kissing her neck. 'Congratulations,  
Colonel Carter.'

She put the comb down and turned in his arms. 'I'm not going to congratulate you,' she  
murmured against his lips.

'Don't. Major General. Makes me feel old.'

She grinned. 'What's the cliché? You're as young as the woman you feel?'

He rolled his eyes. 'Maybe we should get on with that, then.'

She giggled and pushed him gently. He fell back on the bed, taking her with him, his  
fingers flying to the hem of her shirt and tugged it upwards.

'When do you leave?' Sam asked.

'We're _so_ not talkin' about this now,' Jack growled, finally pulling her top over her head.  
He rolled until he was lying on top of her, doing wonderful things to her with his hands and lips.

Sam allowed herself to be swept away on a wave of sensation, but couldn't silence the  
tiny nagging doubt in the back of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

ONE YEAR LATER

'Okay, SG-1, you have a go.' General Landry rose, 'you ship out at fourteen hundred  
hours today. Dismissed.' He walked into his office.

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c left the briefing room. They headed for the commissary, where they  
bought breakfast.

Sam was the first to take a seat. Daniel sat opposite her, and smiled at her breakfast  
choice.

'Frootloops, Sam?'

She nodded and began to eat, not rising to Daniel's bait. Teal'c sat down next to Daniel,  
his tray laden with most of the fresh fruit on offer. Looking over at the fruit bowl, Daniel  
noted his friend had been considerate enough to leave an orange in the bowl.

'How is Jack?' Daniel asked.

'He's fine, as far as I know.' Sam said, not looking up from the report she had open beside  
her bowl.

'As far as you know?' Daniel repeated.

Sam looked up at him then. 'What do you want, Daniel?'

'Are things not well between yourself and O'Neill, ColonelCarter?' Teal'c asked gently.

'Things are fine. Excuse me.' Sam rose abruptly and left the commissary, leaving her file  
on the table.

At eleven o'clock Sam walked into Daniel's office.

'Knock, knock,' she said, her features apologetic.

Daniel smiled at her and held up her file. 'You left this.'

She came further into the office and sat down at the workbench. 'I'm sorry about earlier.'  
Daniel didn't speak, sensing that she wanted to talk. 'I haven't seen Jack since Gracie's  
birthday, three months ago.'

'Why not?' Daniel asked.

'He's been busy. He can't get home as often as he'd like. Now we can contact Atlantis  
again he seems to be busier than ever.'

'The kids-'

'They went to DC when they were on vacation from school.'

'What about you?'

'I'm busy here.'

There was something more in her tone and, though it made him feel bad, Daniel pressed  
the point. 'What is it, Sam?'

'I just keep thinking…' she faltered and looked down.

'Jack loves you, Sam,' Daniel said softly.

'If Jake and Gracie hadn't turned up we wouldn't be together, Daniel.'

'You don't know that.'

'I do.'

'He loves you,' Daniel said. 'He did long before Jake and Gracie came.'

She was silent for a long while, then she nodded, then stood and walked out of the room.

--

The mission did not go well. The ruins Daniel wanted to examine turned out to be a complete  
washout. Daniel, not ready to admit that the Ancients had left nothing valuable here, had requested  
another day, and Landry had given it to him.

They made camp about fifteen minutes walk from the gate. The ruins – empty as they were –  
made Sam uneasy.

They were ambushed in the dark. As they ran for the gate they got separated. Sam ended  
up alone in the dark, hidden by some trees.

'Sam?' Daniel's voice whispered through her radio.

'What's your position?' Sam asked.

'We're by the gate, where are you?'

'In the forest. The Jaffa seem to have-' she broke off at a sound.

'They are not Jaffa,' Teal'c said.

'If they're not Jaffa then what-' Sam was cut off by weapons fire hitting the ground by her  
feet. She ran.

By the gate, Daniel and Teal'c shared a look.

'We should go back,' Daniel said, starting back towards the forest.

Teal'c laid a restraining hand on his friend's arm, then pulled him down behind the DHD. An  
energy blast went straight over their heads.

'Dial the stargate!' Teal'c told Daniel, taking aim with his staff weapon.

Daniel dialled. As the gate engaged, he turned to Teal'c and yelled over the noise. 'We can't  
leave Sam!'

His radio crackled, 'Get through the gate, Daniel! I'm injured. I can't get to you. Get through  
the gate!'

'Sam!' Daniel protested.

'That's an order!' Sam shot back.

'We must depart, DanielJackson!'

With a last desperate look at the tree line, Daniel ran up the steps and through the gate,  
followed by Teal'c.

From her position in the quiet of the forest, Sam heard the stargate deactivated. Then she  
heard the sound of someone in the brush behind her.

She scrambled to her feet, stumbling a little, and ran.

--

The elevator doors opened and Jack stalked out, picking up Daniel and Teal'c in his wake.

'Where are the kids?' Jack asked.

'They are in the VIP suite, O'Neill,' Teal'c rumbled.

'How long has Sam been missing?'

'Fourteen hours,' Teal'c answered, easily keeping pace with Jack.

Daniel found himself skipping at every other step to keep up. 'Jack-'

'Not now, Daniel,' Jack snapped, stopping outside the VIP suite and swiping his ID card in  
the lock.

Jake and Gracie were sitting on one of the beds talking quietly. Jessica was playing on the  
floor.

When Jack entered the room, Jessie said, 'Daddy!' and toddled over to him. He scooped  
her up into his arms. The little girl smiled and kissed his cheek.

'Jake, Gracie,' Jack said. Gracie slid off the bed and rushed to Jack, almost knocking him  
over. He put his free arm around Gracie, looking over at his son. 'Jake?'

'What are you going to do?' Jake asked.

Daniel and Teal'c looked at Jack. He was gazing intently at Jake.

'I'm going to find out what's happening.'

'What?' Jake asked, incredulous.

'I've been… relieved of duty,' Jack told them. 'Apparently they thought I'd do something  
stupid.'

The boy walked over to Jack. Putting his arms around his father and hiding his face in  
Jack's uniform.

'Jack,' Daniel said, 'General Hammond's here.'

'Why?' Jack asked.

'I don't know, he went into a meeting with General Landry as soon as he got here.  
Something's wrong.'

"Really, Daniel? Ya think?'

'I mean something _else_.'

Sarcasm subsiding, Jack nodded. 'I think-'

Before he could finish his sentence there was a knock at the door.

'Yeah?' Jack called.

The door opened and an SF entered the room. 'General O'Neill, sir. General Hammond  
would like to see you in the briefing room.'

'Thank you, airman.'

The man nodded and left, correctly interpreting the dismissal in Jack's tone.

'Jack?' Daniel asked.

But Jack wasn't looking at him, he was looking at Jessie, who looked unusually serious  
for a child so young. 'Wanna go see Grandpa George?'

The little girl smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam was exhausted. It had been almost fifteen hours since Daniel and Teal'c had gone  
through the gate and she hadn't stopped moving. In all that time she'd managed to take  
out two of the four remaining soldiers.

The realisation that they were not Jaffa had been odd when it struck her. But then, she  
mused, the galaxy was huge, there must be so much out there that they hadn't seen. They'd  
been so busy fighting one war, against one type of enemy… She remembered the wonder  
they'd had right at the beginning, when they met the Asgard, the Nox, the Tollan… The  
realisation that it had been such a long time since they met anyone new that didn't want  
to kill them hurt her. She was bringing up her children in a galaxy that mostly wanted to kill  
them, and their parents.

She stumbled over a tree-root as that thought hit her. Jack was safe, at least. Jack would  
always be there for them. For them, not her. The fact that she'd even had that thought made  
her ashamed, and yet it wouldn't go away.

She wondered where the kids were, whether Jack was still in Washington or if he'd come to  
the SGC, if he was trying to find her. In the past he would have broken every rule, would have  
risked anything to bring a member of his team home. To bring _her_ home.

But now? Now he was a General. Responsible for so much more than just his team, his family.  
And he'd always been so good at making the hard decisions.

She was too exhausted to run anymore. The sun was beating down, making her dizzy. She  
saw a tree with branches that swept the ground and crawled underneath it, resting her head  
against the rough bark of the trunk.

Jack couldn't risk breaking the rules to mount a rescue mission. She knew that.

_He loves me…_ The thought came unbidden and surprised Sam by hurting her. Fresh in her mind  
was the memory of how Jack had been becoming more and more distant over the last two years.  
Her conversation with Daniel kept coming back to haunt her.

'_If Jake and Gracie hadn't turned up we wouldn't be together, Daniel.'_

She sighed and dropped her head into her hands.

--

Hammond and Landry were not alone in the briefing room. Richard Woolsey was there and his  
presence worried Daniel. Looking over at Jack, he could see he wasn't surprised.

'Generals,' Jack greeted, 'Woolsey.'

'Come in, Jack, sit down.'

Jack sat, Jessie on his lap. Daniel and Teal'c took their seats, followed by Jake and Gracie.

'I don't think the children,'

'Good,' Jack said, 'I don't think anyone from the Pentagon should think about my kids.'

Woolsey sighed impatiently. 'I was going to say I don't think it is appropriate that the children  
be present at this meeting.'

'I don't care,' Jack said, his voice level. _Too level_, Daniel thought, looking at his friend's impassive  
face. Jack turned his attention to the Generals sitting opposite. 'What are we going to do about  
Colonel Carter?'

Daniel shared a look with Jake.

General Hammond looked at Jack sympathetically. 'There's nothing we can do, Jack.'

Jack nodded slowly. 'Right. So you called me here, why?'

Both Generals looked pointedly at Woolsey.

The little man shuffled the papers in front of him self-importantly and cleared his throat. 'We  
wanted to make sure you weren't going to… take action.'

'Take action?' Jack repeated.

'Both you an SG-1 have been known in the past to defy procedure, often causing danger both to  
yourselves and to others. Sometimes even putting the entire planet at risk. In this instance the  
person lost is your wife, the mother of your children-'

'I don't need to be reminded of that!' Jack snapped. He glared at Hammond and Landry. 'This is  
why you've called me here? To tell me that you're not prepared to do anything to get Carter back  
and I'm not _allowed_ to do anything?'

'We have our orders, General.' Hammond said softly.

'As far as I remember, _General_,' Jack snarled, 'I was relieved of command. And just in case that's  
not enough, I quit. I don't have to follow your orders.'

He rose, about to leave the room, but Hammond sighed and said, 'Airmen, take Mr O'Neill into  
custody.'

'You can't do this.' Daniel looked around the table to see who had spoken so quietly. It was  
Gracie. She sat looking at General Hammond with incomprehension in her eyes.

Hammond looked at her, 'I'm sorry.'

--

Jack lay on the bed in the quarters the SFs had led him to. Every now and then he would  
flick his wrist out, the yoyo tied to his finger spinning close to the floor. There was a knock  
on the door.

'Yeah?' Jack called.

The door opened, admitting Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel crossed the room, pulled the desk  
chair out and sat down. Teal'c remained standing by the door, on guard.

'Woolsey's gone back to the Pentagon,' Daniel said conversationally.

Jack didn't respond, merely nodded and spun the yoyo out once more. Daniel was forcibly  
reminded of another time when he'd tried to talk to Jack. It had been this very room,  
in fact. Jack and Sam had been suspected of being Zatarcs and Daniel had come to talk  
to him about being sedated.

'We tried to talk to General Hammond, but he's locked himself in the General's office with  
Landry.' Daniel paused a moment, then said, 'There's no one outside your room.'

'Are the kids okay?'

'They are fine,' Teal'c rumbled.

'Why didn't you tell us they'd relieved you of command?' Daniel asked.

Jack looked up, finally, to find both Daniel and Teal'c staring at him. 'There didn't seem to  
be time.' He stood, laying the yoyo on the nightstand. 'I have to go.'

'We know,' Daniel said. 'We're coming with you.'

Jack tipped his head to one side. 'Really?'

'Indeed.'

Jack and Teal'c were in the locker room, gearing up and waiting for Daniel. Jack slammed  
the locker door a little harder than was necessary.

'O'Neill?' Teal'c said, his tone ever-so-slightly inquisitive.

Jack sat down heavily on the bench in the middle of the room. Am I about to make a mistake  
here, Teal'c?'

The Jaffa turned to look at his friend. 'I do not believe so, O'Neill.'

'If this goes wrong, my kids'll be orphans.'

'Then it must not go wrong.'


	4. Chapter 4

Jake sat his bed in the SGC quarters he shared with his sisters. Their father was supposed  
to be picking them up to take them home, but obviously he was running late. Grace and Jessie  
were long asleep.

Jake stared at the door, wondering if it was worth going to look for his father. He knew what  
Jack was thinking, knew the way his mind worked.

There was no way he could leave their mother on that planet. No way. He wondered whether  
he should tell his father that Gracie had no idea what was going on with their mom, but that  
Jessie was quieter than usual, barely speaking. He wondered if he would understand.

The door opened softly and Jack entered. He put something down on the table by the door. In  
the dim light Jake could see it was his sidearm. Looking at Jack, jake noticed his father was  
wearing his combat uniform, his vest unzipped. The only thing missing was his P-90, which  
Jake guessed – correctly – that he'd been unable to get from the armoury without causing  
a fuss.

Jack just stood there, hands in his pockets, his eyes moving from Jake, to Gracie, to Jessie.

'Where are Daniel and Teal'c?' Jake asked.

'Daniel's getting ready, Teal'c's outside.' Jack responded.

Jake nodded and thrust his hands into his pockets, unconsciously mirroring his father.

In two quick strides, Jack was across the room. He knelt in front of his son, his words  
tumbling out over themselves. 'I have to go. I can't lose her. Please tell me you understand.'

The boy nodded, his blue eyes shining fiercely through unshed tears.

Unable to hold Jake's gaze for long, Jack rose and went to Gracie's bedside. He watched her  
sleep for a moment, then bent to remove her bracelet. He slipped it around his own wrist, the  
size adjusting automatically, then he kissed his daughter's forehead. He moved to Jessie's side.  
His younger daughter was sleeping peacefully, long dark lashes on her cheeks. He kissed her  
too, feeling the fatalistic flavour to his actions and hating himself for it even as he savoured it,  
knowing it would give him strength.

Then he turned back to his son. Jake held himself straight, looking Jack straight in the eye  
, radiating understanding even as hot tears tracked down his cheeks. At that moment he reminded  
Jack so forcibly of his mother that he was almost unable to bear it. Jack pulled the boy into his  
arms, holding him tightly for a few seconds before releasing him.

Dark brown eyes bore into deep blue ones. 'I _will_bring her back,' he said firmly. Then he turned  
on his heel, picked up his sidearm from the desk and strode from the room.

Behind Jake, Gracie sat up.

'How long have you been awake?' Jake asked, swiping at the tears on his cheeks before turning  
to face her.

'Long enough,' she replied softly.

Jake sat down on the edge of her bed. 'Do you believe him?'

She nodded. 'He's coming back, Jake.'

'Do you _know_ that?' he asked, the way he emphasised the '_know'_ and the intense way he  
looked at her making it obvious he was asking for something other than her opinion.

'It doesn't work like that,' she said calmly, lying back down and turning on her side to avoid  
the terrible searching in his eyes.

'He seemed like he was asking for my permission,' Jake said.

'He was.'

'He would have stayed if I asked him to.' Jake said, a statement rather than a question.

'Yes.'

Jake glared at his sister's back. 'You think I should have told him to stay.'

'I think staying would have killed him. He had to go. And I think no one else could bring mom  
back.'

'What if he can't?'

'He will.'

'But if he doesn't…'

'I know,' she said, 'we have to leave.'

After a moment, she felt him slide off her bed and heard him climb into his own. Gracie lay  
awake for a long time, listening to the sounds of her brother and sister sleeping.

--

Daniel and Teal'c fell into step behind Jack as he headed for the gateroom. They were both  
fully geared up.

'Could be dangerous,' Daniel remarked while they waited for the elevator to reach level 28.

'I have to go, Daniel.'

'As do we, O'Neill.' Teal'c said.

Jack looked like he was about to protest, then shut his mouth.

'So…' Daniel said, 'do we have a plan for how we're actually going to get out of here? What  
with you being off active duty and all?'

Jack held up his wrist, the bracelet glinting dully.

When they reached the gateroom they found it lined with base personnel. Generals  
Hammond and Landry stood in their midst.

'Jack-' the General began.

'George,' Jack interrupted, 'I have to do this.'

'I know that, son.' General Hammond nodded up at Sergeant Harriman and the gate began  
to dial out.

Jack stared at his former CO, finally pulling himself together enough to say, 'Thank you, sir,'  
his voice soft. Then he looked around at the packed gateroom, 'What…'

Colonel Dixon stepped forward. 'We're volunteering to assist in the rescue of Colonel Carter,'  
he paused, looking at Jack intently before adding, 'General.'

'Thank you,' Jack said, then louder, 'all of you. But I can't take anyone with me.' Daniel cleared  
his throat, and Jack went on smoothly, 'except Daniel and Teal'c and they'll only be watching  
the gate.'

'Jack…' General Hammond began.

'No, sir,' Jack said, 'the shrubs at the Pentagon were right, we can't afford to lose too many  
people to this.'

General Hammond's mouth set in a firm line. Then he said, 'Before you come back to the SGC,  
go here. Colonel Dixon and his team will meet you.' He handed a slip of paper to Daniel, who  
memorised the address and handed it to Teal'c. Jack took the slip from the Jaffa, looked at the  
gate address and tore it up.

Harriman's voice rang out in the gateroom. 'Chevron seven: locked.' The wormhole engaged,  
flooding the gateroom with familiar rippling blue light.

'God speed, son,' Hammond said.

Jack saluted him, one of the few proper salutes Daniel had ever seen his friend execute. Then  
he turned and strode up the ramp and through the gate, Daniel and Teal'c close behind.


	5. Chapter 5

_'Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.' The words drifted through the forest, not sung, but spoken, in a voice  
she knew well. She crawled out from under the tree, ignoring the pain in her leg._

_Grace stood in the forest amusement dancing in her dark eyes. Her expression changed to one of concern when she saw Sam.  
The girl turned and walked away._

'_Gracie,' Sam called, surprised at the weakness of her own voice._

_Gracie stopped. 'You can't stop. You have to keep going.' She turned. 'He is coming, make sure he isn't too late.'_

Sam opened her eyes. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she was exhausted. She rubbed a hand over her face, feeling the  
cuts and bruises she'd sustained on her run through the forest. Her leg ached dully, the sprain prohibiting her movement.

She checked her watch. She'd been running for almost seventeen hours. She wondered if there really was someone here, looking  
for her. Her hand was already halfway to her radio before she remembered it was gone, lost in the night.

She listened for a moment, and then crawled out from under the tree. She stood, wincing at the pain that shot through her leg.

She would head for the gate, and try to stay under cover. He was coming. And she was damn sure she was going to be near the gate  
when he got here.

--

When they had arrived, Jack had ordered them to remain by the gate, telling them that if he didn't check in every half hour they  
were to wait ten minutes, then head for the rendezvous.

Daniel hadn't liked it, had argued, but Teal'c had taken everything in his stoic stride.

About seven minutes out from the gate, Jack had found Sam's radio and her P-90. The gun was empty. Then he'd found the place  
where SG-1 had made camp the night before. Sam's pack was on the floor. He opened it, finding the picture of the kids she carried  
and, folded up small, a picture of him.

He put them into his vest pocket and moved on.

Sam stumbled into a clearing and stopped short. Ahead of her were the two remaining soldiers. Their armour glinted matte black in  
the sunset.

Sam reached for her sidearm, took aim and fired twice. One of the soldiers went down. Knowing it was empty, Sam dropped the weapon  
to the ground and threw herself after it, seeking refuge behind a fallen tree.

She could hear the soldier advancing on her position but she couldn't move. There was no escape.

She felt distanced from the situation, as though she were no longer here, just watching. Her mind registered the sound of P-90 fire, the  
sound of the soldier's armour being hit again and again. Then there was the sound of the soldier falling to the floor.

Jack appeared in front of her. 'You wanna get up?' His voice was gentle.

'Not yet,' Sam said.

He nodded and thumbed his radio. 'Daniel?'

'Go ahead, Jack.'

'I found Carter, we got the last of 'em. Sam's injured.'

'We'll make our way to you.'

'No,' Jack said. 'You hold the gate. Send Teal'c.'

Sam looked up at him, wondering at his clipped tone.

'I am on my way, O'Neill.'

Jack gave their position and sat down next to Sam, looking sidelong at her in an appraising way. 'C'mere.' He slipped his arm around  
her and Sam leant into him.

'How come you're here?' she asked.

'Where else would I be?' he responded, slightly amused.

'I didn't think you'd come. Procedure-'

'Oh, procedure,' Jack said dismissively. He looked at her, his expression suddenly serious. 'Did you honestly think I'd leave you  
here?'

She shook her head.

'You thought I'd send search and rescue,' he said. She nodded. Jack reached around and tipped her face up so she was looking at  
him. 'I will always find you. Believe me.' He kissed her softly. 'I love you, Sam.'

She looked up at him, too exhausted to respond, too relieved to speak.

--

Sam woke up in the familiar surroundings of the infirmary. It was quiet, the lights dim, and she realised it must be night time.

She vaguely remembered coming back through the forest, supported by Jack, while Teal'c walked ahead, scanning the area. It  
would have been more sensible for Teal'c to carry her, but both she and Jack were reluctant to let go of one another.

She remembered the familiar wash of cold as she stepped through the gate and soft hands on the other side, guiding her towards  
the infirmary. Janet had given her a shot of something that made her sleep.

'Hey, sleepyhead.'

Sam looked in the direction the voice came from. Daniel was sitting on the bed next to her own.

'Hey, Daniel.'

'How are you feeling?'

'A little groggy. Are the kids okay?' She reached for the glass of water beside her bed.

Daniel helped her to sit up and passed her the glass. 'They're fine. We just got Jake and Grace to go to bed an hour ago.'

Sam smiled.

After a few moments silence, Daniel said, 'Jack's been called to the General's office.' She nodded, hoping Daniel hadn't seen  
how disappointed she was that Jack wasn't here. 'They want to renegotiate his resignation.'

'Resignation?' Sam asked, suddenly attentive.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably. 'Maybe you should talk to Jack about that.'

'_Daniel_.'

Daniel looked over his shoulder, as though checking for Jack. 'When you didn't come back with us, the Pentagon  
decided to relieve Jack of command…'

'_What_?'

'… and then he quit.' Sam stared at him, disbelieving, and Daniel couldn't resist adding, 'I told you he loves you, Sam.'

"Daniel, she's supposed to be resting.'

Daniel's head snapped around guiltily. Jack was standing in the doorway of the infirmary, leaning on the frame, his arms  
folded across his chest.

Daniel turned back to Sam, his eyes pleading with her not to tell Jack what he'd said. 'See you tomorrow, Sam.' He turned  
and walked out of the infirmary, nodding to Jack as he passed him.

Jack walked over to Sam and sat on the bed Daniel had so recently occupied. 'Sorry I wasn't here when you woke up.'

She shrugged, aiming for nonchalance.

'Really, Sam. I'm sorry.'

She looked up at him, startled by the intensity of his tone. He looked almost as exhausted as she felt.

'When did you last sleep?' she asked.

'Doc says you can go home tomorrow, as long as you rest.'

'Jack…'

'Day before yesterday.'

'Go get some sleep, Jack.'

He gazed at her for a long moment. Then he slid off the bed, walked around it and pushed it towards her own. Then he slid  
off his boots and climbed onto the bed, turning onto his side so he could look at her.

'Are you allowed to do that?'

'I'm head of HomeWorld Security, I can do whatever I damn well please.'

'About that-'

'Someone's been telling tales on me,' Jack said dryly. 'We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?'

She nodded.

'Now get back to sleep, Doc Fraiser'll kill me if she catches you awake.'

Sleepily, Sam nodded again and shut her eyes. She felt Jack reach out and take her hand in his, holding it tightly.

--


End file.
